


The Smell of Freedom

by TravelingMystery



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alaska, Travel, farm life, fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 16:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11339469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TravelingMystery/pseuds/TravelingMystery
Summary: After choosing to leave the life of hunting behind him, Dean gets as far away from his family as he can, and ends up in Alaska.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean absentmindedly pressed the button on his phone to light up the screen, hoping to see a message from Sam. There wasn't one of course, as Dean had already replaced his phone and Sam didn't have his new number. Dean's finger tapped on the side of his phone as he relived the fight he had had with his father. The dishes clattering to the floor as Dean told John he didn't want to be a hunter anymore still rang in his ears. Dean didn't believe that John had dropped them on purpose, but the yelling that followed was certainly not an accident. Shortly after the yelling was when the blows started coming, John and Dean wrapped in a tangle of limbs and voices, each trying to make the other see reason. The mess of bodies only got worse as Sam tried desperately to pull his father and brother apart. Dean winced as he heard the crunch of breaking glass as someone stepped into the pile of broken dishes. "You need to get out of here." John said coldly. "If you aren't hunting anymore you're a danger to be around and I won't have you bringing that mess to us." The loud bang and shaking of the walls let Dean know that Sam had slammed his bedroom door. "Fine" Dean snapped. "I don't need you around. I can make it on my own." He said as he stormed off toward his bedroom. "I'll be out in an hour." Dean angrily packed his few changes of clothes, and his toothbrush into his small travel bag. He grabbed for his phone before realizing that it would make him too traceable. Dean's hand hesitated over the phone before he decided to take it with him temporarily. If nothing else, he may get some trade-in credit for it. Dean slung his bag over his shoulder before he walked down the hall. He paused temporarily in front of Sam's door with his hand outstretched to knock when Dean could hear Sam sniffle and blow his nose inside the privacy of his room. Dean sighed and walked towards the exit knowing Sam didn't want to be disturbed while he cried, or want to get in the middle of Dean's fight with their father.

Back on the airplane Dean sighed and glanced around. He shook his head and closed his eyes as soon as he saw the window, even though the shade was drawn and he couldn't see outside. He had specifically requested an isle seat, but the airline had given him a window seat instead. He would have much preferred to drive, but he would need a passport for that, and Dean knew that he wouldn't be able to get a passport quickly enough for him to disappear. Being accused of murder and having died twice would make it difficult. The easiest way to get away from his father and hunting was to fly, and Dean hated it. 

He opened his eyes as he heard a small sound. He sat up and looked directly towards the sound that only years of monster endured paranoia could cause. He sighed and relaxed as he saw it was just a hostess. "Would you like anything to drink?" She asked him. Dean handed her a five dollar bill. "Can I please get an Alaskan Amber?" She took the bill from Dean and passed it to a new steward behind her. He took the bill and opened a drawer, tucking the bill into a zippered envelope and writing down the sale. He closed the drawer before attempting to remember where the beers were located. He pointed at the drawers slowly in turn, muttering to himself what they contained before pointing at the mini-fridge. "Of course." He said before opening the door and retrieving the beer. He passed it to the stewardess training him and turned to Dean. "I apologize for the delay." He said. Dean forced a weak smile as he was handed the cold drink. "Not a problem. We all have to learn." He said. The stewardess handed him a small package of cookies before she moved on to the next person. 

 

Dean opened his drink and took a sip, sighing before leaning his head back against the seat. He had been flying for nearly four hours. The first flight had taken him about an hour and a half, and then after a layover just long enough to use the bathroom and grab a burger from an overpriced airport McDonald's, he was on the second and final flight of his trip. This flight would take nearly six hours, Dean calculated. Everyone thought Sam was the smart one, and while Dean spoke highly of his brother's intelligence he knew he wasn't exactly stupid. Dean sighed and muttered "only three and a half more hours." He turned his attention back to his beer and took a sip. It tasted different than the beers he was used to, but it's what the airline had and he wasn't about to be picky while he was six miles in the air. Dean looked down at the can in his hand. The red can covered in tiny droplets of moisture reflected the lights from inside the plane. Dean smiled down at the can that matched Sam's favorite color. Dean hoped that Sam would be alright. He would call Sam as soon as he felt it was safe to. Dean only hoped that his brother wouldn't be too upset about their parting or lack there of to want to speak to Dean. Dean let out a small sigh of exhaustion as he brushed the condensation off the name of his beer with his thumb. 

He knew he had to get far away from his family. John had made that clear. Dean had decided on a plan as he drove away from his family home. He felt a pain inside his chest that had nothing to do with the bruises he was sure were forming as he saw it disappear into the horizon in his rear view mirror. Dean decided he was going to get as far away from his father as he could, and then he planned to live out of his car driving around and trying to find work where he could. He wanted to go somewhere remote so he'd be hard to track, but still populated enough to find work. Dean looked out at the view ahead of him as he roared down the road, trying to take in every sight he could as he knew this was likely to be the last time he ever saw his home state again. He had a car of his own and was free to go where he wanted. After all, Alaska was about as far as he thought he could travel without a passport.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean groaned to himself and slowly rotated his shoulders as he walked through the small airport. He had been traveling for nearly eleven hours, six and a half of which he spent crammed into a too small airplane seat with less than enough leg room. Dean felt his legs shake slightly as he walked, and made his way to the closest bench so he could sit and allow his sore muscles to adjust back to their typical range of motion without cramping. 

As Dean sat on the bench, he watched people coming and going throughout the airport. Some were obviously business people on travel, others were meeting loved ones. Dean wasn't entirely sure what was going on a few benches down, but based on the amount of hugs he saw, it was obviously a happy reunion. Dean instantly felt happy that someone got to experience that feeling, and also jealous of the strangers for having what he never would. 

Dean forced himself back up to his feet to carry on his way, hoping to distract himself from being jealous of people he would likely never see again. He grabbed his luggage, and walked over to the map to figure out where he was, and where the closest hotel was. Dean knew that his car would be arriving the next day. He wasn't sure where he would go once he had the freedom that his car brought, but he knew he would figure something out. 

Dean stopped in front of a map that the airport had located in the center of the room. Dean glanced around the map, trying to become familiar with the area. "Fairbanks." He muttered. "Bit of an odd name." Dean made a note of the closest hotels he could see before pulling out his cellphone to try and find a room for the night. 

After some searching online, Dean had successfully managed to find a relatively close hotel that was inexpensive. It was even rated three stars, which Dean was secretly thrilled with, never having experienced a three star hotel before. Dean stood outside of the airport waiting for the taxi that he had called. He hated spending money as freely as he was, but until his car arrived he would have to rely on alternate means of transportation. As soon as he found a job, Dean thought, he would be able to feel better about the amount of money he had spent in the past twenty four hours. 

The next thing Dean knew, he was staring at a mountain and realizing he had spaced out. Dean looked around and realized he was in a taxi. He raised an eyebrow as he glanced around the inside of the taxi, unsure of when he got inside, or even where he was going. Dean cleared his throats to get the drivers attention. "So uh...Where are we heading?" He asked the driver. The taxi driver glanced momentarily into the rear-view mirror to look at Dean. "You requested the hotel down the road." Dean nodded."Right. Long day." He mumbled. The taxi driver chuckled softly. "First time in Alaska?" Dean raised an eyebrow momentarily again before he responded. "Yes, how did you know?" The driver grinned. "The sunlight here tends to mess with people when they first arrive. It won't really get dark outside until September. The sun sets about three am, and then we have twilight for two hours before the sun is up again at five am." Dean coughed in surprise. "How is anyone supposed to sleep with that?" He asked. The driver smiled slightly and simply said "thick curtains" before he pulled in front of the hotel. Dean quickly paid the man. "Well, thanks for the advice." He said before he grabbed his luggage and left the taxi, eager to try and get some rest after an exhausting day. Dean checked the time on his phone and frowned to himself. "That can't be right. It's much later than that." Dean groaned as he remembered. "Time zone change. I can't believe I have to live two hours over again. At least I'm not on the plane this time." He said to himself before he entered the hotel and went to check in. 

After Dean had checked in at the front desk of the hotel, he had had to contain himself as the concierge gave him the hours of different parts of the hotel. the gym momentarily interested him until the woman gave him the hours that breakfast would be available. Dean tried to not show too much excitement at the knowledge of the hotel providing breakfast in the morning, as long as he got it on time. 

Dean took his key card and walked down the hallway towards his room smiling slightly as he went. Sure things were still going to be difficult, but at least he didn't have to find a place to eat tomorrow before starting the search for a job. He could have a nice shower and sleep in a decent bed before having breakfast and then getting his car before searching for a job. Things were already starting to look up for Dean. 

Dean unlocked the door to his room and walked in, looking around instinctively. He sniffed the air as he walked in, taking note that there wasn't any funky smell or stains on the bed. Dean grinned as he saw the tv, momentarily reminding himself that he would have to sleep and couldn't stay up all night watching TV. He dropped his luggage onto the bed before sitting down to take off his shoes. Instantly Dean yawned, only just realizing how tired he actually was and realized that he may not have much trouble falling asleep after all. Dean slowly stood up, his muscles protesting the change in position that took him further away from the bed. He shuffled towards the bathroom to clean himself up after spending so much time on a plane. He felt like he could smell airplane on himself. After getting himself cleaned up, dean walked back to the bed and ripped back the blankets, nearly falling face first into the bed now that he was so close to it. Before Dean could roll over to pick up the remote he had fallen into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I recently traveled to Alaska, and this story is based off of what I saw there. There may be some things that aren't as applicable to other parts of Alaska, and I'm not trying to generalize or typecast an entire state.
> 
> Read and edited before posting by my good friend, McSquiddy. Blame mistakes on him! (I'm joking. Don't actually do that, please.)


End file.
